MFI2 requires only 0.2 µl of undiluted serum (1.0 µl of 1:5 diluted serum) regardless of the number of tests requested. To allow for potential secondary and tertiary confirmatory testing, we recommend that a minimum of 20 µl of undiluted (100 µl of diluted serum) be submitted for each sample.
You may achieve an approximate 1:5 dilution of serum by adding 1 part of whole blood to 2 parts of ambient temperature saline. Refrigerate the diluted blood for 6 to 12 hours, centrifuge at low speed for 5-10 minutes, and recover the 1:5 diluted serum for submission.
Do not submit whole blood; hemolysis will occur during freezing or shipping and may interfere with serologic test performance. Refrain from pooling serum samples, a practice that can yield false negative results by dilution effect.
Serum samples should be shipped frozen using an overnight service. One or two pounds of ice packs are generally adequate depending on the type of container, the number of samples and the ambient temperature. Optimal shipping conditions are achieved when the entire package with its lid open is frozen overnight at or below -20 C. The use of dry ice is not required.
To expedite testing, and prevent leakage, we encourage clients to submit 1:5 diluted serum in IDEXX BioResearch serum vials (provided free of charge on request to clients who pre-dilute their samples) sequentially numbered with an indelible marker.
NOTE: Please include a completed serology submission form specifying the species, serum dilution, and the serology profile or individual test(s) requested. Describe any potential biohazards associated with the samples. Please use a separate serology accession form for each different species of animal and serologic profile or group of test(s) requested.
Ship samples to:
IDEXX GmbH
IDEXX BioAnalytics
Im Moldengraben 65
D-70806 Kornwestheim
Germany
